Nightmare Man
by Scarlett Siren
Summary: Daniella has had the same dream every night ever since she could remember, about a boiler room and a shadowy figure. But after all those years, she is finally shown the face of her nightmare man...
1. First Time

**This is my second fanfic ever, let alone Nightmare on Elm Street so if you have any criticism, I'll accept it but make it nice okay? :) And I'd love any tips and comments that you can share. Thanks xx**

**Disclaimer: - Everything in this was created by Wes Craven and everyone who helped with N.O.E.S... except for the stuff I create of course, that's mine. ;)**

He'd been there since she could remember.

It had started when she was only just born. One cold December evening and she was nestled in her mother's arms, just drifting off to sleep.

"Mrs. Saxon, how are you feeling?" Nurse May poked her head around the corner into the private room where Diana Saxon and her newborn baby were resting.

"She's doing just fine, thank you May." Diana gave a warm, weary smile, and her eyelids fluttered shut for a moment. She yawned as her child gurgled. "I might just have a little nap for a while, if that's okay. Could you take Daniella to the nursery please?"

"Of course, honey." She gently lifted the baby out of her mother's arms and walked out of the room down the adjacent corridor. She walked in and placed her into cot number 11 and walked out of the room for her 5 minute coffee break.

As the emotionless child lay there, barely moving, her mind slipped out of consciousness as she drifted off to sleep…

ll

Meanwhile, in the dream realm, a cot lay amongst the labyrinth of chains and pipes. The boilers were cold and the atmosphere lay still. The form of a baby appeared in the cot, as she opened her eyes, and looked around. She squirmed, but did not cry. Footsteps, heavy and slow, echoed around the room as a tall, lanky figure approached the cot. He took slow strides as his thick brown working boots thumped against the floor.

His long shadow loomed over the child, as she wriggled and squirmed softly in her bed. Her big blue eyes stared up at him with wonderment as a large grin wiped across his face.

"Well, what do we have here?" He circled the baby with his knives outstretched. She kicked and wriggled, anxiety sinking in. Then she began to cry. Suddenly he walked straight up to the cot and stared her straight in the face, his expression blank.

"Don't cry baby, I'll be seeing you again very soon. Sooner than you think…" He reached out his burnt hand and stroked her face, wiping away her tears. Then he raised his hand and clicked his fingers, and her small, fragile form began to fade away.

ll

Nurse May walked straight up to cot 11 and picked up the crying child, and headed towards the door. There was a gentle knock on the door, and Diana was awoken from her slumber. She opened her heavy eyes and a look of satisfaction etched across her face as she was handed her baby girl. Darren was slumped in the chair beside her bed, very much out for the count, as he'd been up since 4 am after being woken by a pool of liquid spread across their bed.

"Thank you," she said quietly. As May began to exit the room she was called back. "Um, May, could I ask a favour of you please?"

She smiled sweetly. "Of course, Miss, what would you like?"

"Could you phone my sister, please? Her number's on the computer."

"Sure, right away." She walked out of the door in the corridor.

Diana looked down at her baby and smiled. "I love you my darling." She leant down and inhaled her beautiful scent. Except… it was no longer there. Instead of a newborn baby fragrance that most people are born with, the scent of burnt flesh was settled in its place. Diana didn't scream, nor did she cry. She acted normally and lay her child down in her crib, her face expressionless.

Then she stared at the ceiling and spoke very softly. "You want her? I'd like to see you try to take her, you bastard."

She looked down to her once again sleeping baby, and shut her eyes, praying for her child to have a dreamless sleep.

ll

Daniella was back in the place that had become so familiar to her now, surrounded by cold pipes and hanging chains. She would rarely end up in the same spot, as the place was like a giant maze. Even after 15 years, she still kept getting lost. Well, not that she could walk when she was a baby.

Almost every night, she'd dreamt about the same place, with the same silent atmosphere and heavy smell of rust. She knew what would happen. She would walk around for a few seconds, and then she'd hear the sound of heavy footsteps, and the shadow of a lanky figure from around the corner. Then fear would rise up in her – she never got used to the effect that he would bring to the dream – and she'd wake up screaming before she got a chance to see his face. She'd always known him as the "Nightmare man."

Her dreams as a small child were occasional, just once every month or so. But when she managed to speak in full sentences and walk properly, the dreams became more vivid and frequent. She'd have one every week.

When she turned 10, she had one every night. Sometimes, she would even hear his heavy, drawn out breaths. There were times during the school day where she could swear someone was breathing on her neck, even when there wasn't a breeze.

Her life was pretty normal during the day. Every morning, after she'd calmed down, she would get up, have a shower and get changed. She'd dry her hair, and then have breakfast. She'd get her stuff ready, kiss her mom goodbye and walk to the bench on the corner of the street where she met her friend Katie, and headed off to school.

School was an average waste of daily time. Class, recess, class, lunch, class then freedom. She never really much cared for the unimportant lessons of life and she found them to be a bore. But it was still a reason to leave the house, and in a way it kept her sane.

Then she'd walk home with Katie, she'd do her homework, watch whatever's on the TV and then go to bed for yet another night of torture. Great.

But although she always woke up terrified, in a way she enjoyed her dreams. She always kept the hope that, one night, she would find the identity of her "Nightmare man", but she was always pulled out of her dream too early. Whenever she saw that shadow from around the corner, her heart would beat ten times faster and she'd get such an adrenaline rush that it was almost addictive. She knew it wasn't real, so what was the point of getting scared?

These were the thoughts that were rushing through her mind now, as she took careful steps through the musty air of the boiler room. This room had become so stuck in her mind that she had drawn pictures of it, from memory. She'd known how to do that ever since she was 12. Her mother said she was a natural… but why the hell was she thinking of her artistic skills at a time like this?

Her breathing became heavier, and she began sweating… which was strange because, she wasn't running. Then she noticed something even more strange. The boilers, they… they began to rumble. And the pipes began to emit steam. The air became hotter, and the faint blue glow that surrounded the room became a bright shade of red and green. It was like… everything was being brought back to life.

Suddenly, a new kind of adrenaline rose up in the pit of Daniella's stomach; and not the normal kind. Her eyes widened and her body began to shake as the ever so familiar shadow appeared on the wall.

His breathing got louder and louder until finally, his face was shown to her for the very first time.


	2. First Death

******A/N: Sorry it's been a while but you know how it is, G.C.S.E.'s and everything :/ ah well, enjoy this chapter.**

******Ooh, also, I have rated this story as T as you can see but a) that was mainly so people can see the story in the N.O.E.S. list without changing the rating filter and b) it could get pretty graphic, I'm not sure about that yet. I will figure something out... eventually... :)**

There he was... her Nightmare Man. He was right there, walking slowly towards her. She started backing away, shaking slightly. She felt a mixture of feelings and thoughts rushing through her.

In a way, it was like meeting a famous idol. You've known them all your life, but you've never met them. And when you finally do, you're not quite sure what to do or say.

Of course, bring in the feeling of impending doom into the mix and you've got yourself a recipe for disaster.

The kinds of celebrities that Daniella read about in magazines and saw on TV were all the same – white teeth, tanned and spotless skin, bleached hair, shorts and shirtless or bikinis and Hawaiian skirts, perfect abs and boobs... but this was never what she expected.

Burnt skin, red and green stripy sweater, all torn and filthy, a dusty fedora hat... and a glove with knives for fingers...

She stumbled back, too wrapped up in her thoughts to see where she was going. She then realized he was staring at her; straight in the eyes. She was shaking, terrified, her mouth open, sweat dripping down her face... along with a sense of joy. Finally, she had seen his face! After all those years of silhouettes and shadows... finally flesh and blood had walked into her dream. Burnt flesh.

She tripped over some pipes, and fell flat on her back. Winded and bruised, she tried to scamper away across the floor, but she wasn't fast enough. Suddenly she felt a hand clasp around her throat and two legs crash into her hips. He straddled her and smiled a wicked smile.

"Remember me?"

Daniella's bottom lip quivered as she thought of something to say – anything to say.

"I-I..." she trailed off, wishing he would not press so hard against her. She felt crushed beneath his weight.

He leaned in and inhaled her scent, looking deep into her blue eyes. "Cat got your tongue, Dani?" His knives scraped against each other and they came dangerously close to Daniella's mouth. She was thinking what he was thinking, and she didn't like the sound of that. She feebly tried to push him off of her, but her strength was no match for his. He pinned her against the ground firmly with his hands, and growled softly.

"Now now, why leave so soon... when we have all night?" He laughed softly and traced his knifed glove down her arm and towards her neck.

"Please..." she managed to blurt out suddenly, finding her voice.

He stopped, and looked at her. "Begging won't work on me, doll." He smirked.

"I-I just..." she took a breath. "Who are you?"

He was about to answer, but stopped and looked up with dissatisfaction.

"You'll have to wait for that answer, doll." 'Doll?' Daniella thought. "I'll see you very soon." He nicked her neck with his glove and she darted up in her bed, drenched with sweat. She leant her head in her hands, crying and sobbing. When she realized... it was all a dream. It was all just a dream. She had found the identity of her Nightmare Man and she wasn't in any real danger...

Until she reached round her neck, and felt the blood drip onto her fingers, and onto the duvet. The tears streamed down her face, and she shook once again, and then... she screamed.

ll

Daniella faded from the dream world, leaving Freddy still knelt down on the floor. He grumbled and stood up, brushing the dust off his pants. He stalked along the catwalks clinking his knives together, pondering on new ideas for his prey. She wouldn't be difficult to break, not difficult at all, but before he killed her, he needed to get what he planned. He needed his revenge. He'd been planning her end for 15 years.

And he was not going to let this go to waste.

ll

She massaged her scalp as the hot water poured down on her, relaxing her muscles. She was careful not to nod off though. She was weak, but she wasn't stupid. She began to have flashbacks of her life.

When Dani was 5, her dad had been out late one night having a drink, and he'd been walking home when he was dragged into an alleyway, and stabbed to death. Diana, her mom, had cried for 5 weeks while her daughter had stayed at her sister Sarah's house.

Sarah was like a second mom to Daniella. She'd been there for her from the very beginning. Any problems with Daniella's care and she'd come running. She was a babysitter, housekeeper, and a genuine friend. Dani was lucky to have her. Even though she was 42 years old at the time, 5 years younger than Diana, she had the looks and spirit of a teenager.

Of course, being 5, the grief had never really sunk in for Dani, and growing up she had never forgiven herself for not once crying for her dad's death.

When she turned 10 and the nightmares got more vivid, she and her mom went to dream therapy with a doctor Neil Gordon. He talked to her about her nightmares. She could remember when her mom went to get a drink and he squeezed her hand and looked at her.

"Daniella, listen to me, your dreams are real. They're real. You have to listen to me, you can't go back to sleep, he'll kill you! He'll-"

"Dr. Gordon!" A woman in her late 50's entered and restrained Dr Gordon. "I'm sorry dear; he's just... very tired. If you'll excuse us..." She escorted him out of the room, and another nurse came rushing in, and sat by Dani, who was so confused that she didn't know what day it was any more.

It all made sense now. Everything that he said was true. Obviously he had once had a previous encounter with her Nightmare Man, and he was just trying to warn her. It was quite obvious it had got to him. She felt sorry for him. He was only trying to help and she didn't believe him.

She hopped out of the shower and dried herself quickly. She slipped on a bath robe and wrapped a towel round her hair, then put a fresh dressing on her cut. Despite the lack of damage it seemed to have done, it was actually quite deep. As a matter of fact, Dani came very close to losing her life there and then.

Half an hour later and she was all dressed ready for Sarah's birthday party. Sarah had the bubbliest and wildest attitude that Dani had ever known, and she knew that this was going to be fun. It would take her mind off her nightmares at least.

She and her mom got into the car and they drove the five blocks to her "bachelorette pad" as she called it. Big pink balloons were strung up outside and loud music was blaring from her huge speakers. Daniella walked up to the house and it was opened for her before she could knock.

"Hi honey!" Sarah said and hugged her tight.

"Hey, Sarah." Dani smiled back, and handed her a present and card.

The living room was buzzing with excitement and noise. Dani's cousins were sprawled across the couch drinking WKD and chatting like crazy. More people crowded the kitchen, dancing and singing terribly. Classic Sarah. She sure knew how to throw a party.

Her cousin Adele walked up to her, grinning. "Hey gorgeous!" She said, hugging her.

"Heya, Addie," Dani said, and hugged her back. "What's up with you nowadays?"

"Oh, well, you know," she giggled and winked, as a tall, clean-shaven guy in his mid-20s crept up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "I gotta go now. You know, 'stuff to do'" She said with a smirk.

"I'll... leave you to it." She said, and walked away. Adele smiled at her latest boyfriend, Josh, and led him upstairs. They entered Sarah's bedroom, which was fortunately unoccupied. They started making out and they fell on the bed. Adele felt so comfortable and she felt kind of tired... but nothing would stop her from relishing in this moment. She may not have been a virgin, but every time felt like the first time to her.

She lay back as Josh undid the buttons of her shirt and threw it on the floor. Her eyes fluttered shut and she sighed with delight.

Then, she felt a weird sensation against her skin. Something cold and... Ow! Something sharp. She felt a drop of blood run down her leg.

"Shit Josh!" Her eyes were still closed. "We don't wanna get caught!" Then she giggled. "But, hell, if you're into S & M then I have no pro-"Her breath caught in her throat as she opened her eyes to the most disgusting face she had ever seen in her life; burnt skin, and rotten teeth.

"Boo." He breathed, and then laughed manically.

Adele screamed as he lunged his knives into her abdomen, blood spilling out all over the bed.

Josh freaked as he felt blood pour all over the bed, and he saw Adele's body jerk, and four slash marks appear from nowhere on her stomach. Then he heard her ear piercing scream, and... Silence. He quickly checked her pulse, hoping upon hope that she was still alive. But it was no use.

She was dead.


	3. First Confrontation

**Sorry about the lateness of my update... and that is all I have to say =)**

Yellow tape surrounded the three-storey house with the pink balloons tied up outside. It was now 11:00 in the evening. All of the party guests now sat wrapped in blankets huddling together in the cold evening wind. The moon had completely disappeared behind the clouds making the sky an eerie black. Josh sat in a police car wrapped in a winter coat as a policeman walked towards the car and got in the drivers seat.

An ambulance and several police cars were dotted around the building, the red and blue lights bouncing off the walls. A couple of girls with tear-streaked faces were being questioned. The atmosphere was panicked and disorganized. Daniella and Sarah sat on the kerb in a purple duvet, resting each others heads on their shoulders.

Sarah brushed a bit of hair away from Daniella's emotionless face; so blank, that it could have been engraved.

"Hey," Sarah turned Daniella's face towards her. "How you doing chicka?"

Daniella smiled as Sarah started up her attempts to cheer her up. Ah, if only she knew...

"Eh. Been better," she said, sighing. "I just can't believe Adele's gone."

"I know, it's incredible. I'm just wondering how Josh did it. I mean, there aren't any weapons in my room at all. Unless you count my nail file."

"Uh... no." Dani smiled.

"I overheard the cops talking. Apparently, the wounds were massive. I mean we're talking about the size of kitchen knives here. Four gashes, about 5 inches long. God knows how he did it."

"Yeah..." she only let out a mutter. It may have been possible that Josh killed Adele, but she was almost completely sure that it was something far worse; something of her worst nightmares...

She was broken out of her thoughts by a gentle tap on her shoulder. She turned behind her to see a police officer looking down at her. She and Sarah stood up.

"We'll be sealing off this house for a good few days at the very least so I think it would be best to find a place to stay for a few days, Miss Fox," he informed Sarah. "You can both leave now; there won't be any need for further questioning at the moment."

"Thank you," Sarah smiled at the policeman, and went to get Diana to take Daniella home.

The policeman walked away leaving Dani by herself. She closed her eyes and sighed, realising she was tired. She knew she wouldn't be able to stay awake for much longer.

Daniella slowly got out of the car with her mom and Sarah and walked up to the front door. Diana unlocked the front door and Dani went to her room, and lay on the bed, feeling so relaxed... but no, she wouldn't let herself fall asleep. Not tonight. One was dead already, how many more sacrifices would be made before she was finally killed?

She heard a knock on the door. "Come in." She said quietly.

Sarah popped her head round the door. "Hey honey, how are you doing? I was just hoping to talk to you before you fell asleep."

"I'm fine, thank you..." she heard a slightly different tone to Sarah's voice... but she thought past it. "How about you?"

"Oh, I'm just fine," she said with a sarcastic tone. "I feel great, the best I have in years. My niece has just died, my house is surrounded with tape, I have to stay here with a bitch like you while my house is being searched and my bed taken in for evidence. I'm going to have press and media sticking their noses in my business for the next 6 months, and to top it all off, it's all happened on my birthday! So, yeah, I'm just fine!" She yelled, slapping Dani in the face.

Dani fell to the floor from the impact with a look of horror on her face. "Sarah, I didn't mean to..."

"Shut up, bitch!" Sarah's lips moved, but a different voice completely came out.

'Oh no...' Dani thought. She glared. "What are you doing to Sarah?"

"Well well, look who finally found her voice." He snarled with a smile, as he morphed into his own body.

"Yeah, well... it's less of a shock is all... Why do I even have to explain myself to you! You killed Addie!"

"No shit Sherlock," he said mockingly. "And it was the best fun I've had for a long time. But the fun is just getting started. There is so much more I have to... _do._"

Daniella cringed at the last word, feeling uneasy.

"Why am _I_ dreaming of you?"

"Because there is a debt to be payed. And it is long overdue..." He advanced on her and lashed out as she woke up screaming in the car.

"Dani, Dani! Calm down honey, it's okay. You were having a nightmare, I think."

Dani's breaths were rapid and she felt sweat dripping down her forehead. "Wha... oh, yeah. Thanks S-Sarah..." She was shaking.

'Debt? What debt?' She felt so confused.

The car stopped and as soon as her mom unlocked the door, she ran up the stairs to her room, jumped onto the bed and screamed into her pillow.

A week later, Diana was on the phone to the school yet again to excuse Daniella from school, who had become dangerously sleep deprived. Despite her dark skin, she had become paler and she had deep bags under her eyes. A coffee machine lay on her nightstand as she sat staring into space.

A debt that was long overdue... she had been thinking it over again and again... she couldn't think of what had to be payed. She'd been awake nearly all week. Her consciousness did slip once, for an hour or two... which resulted in her nearly getting killed. Not by Freddy, just that it was dark and she fell off the catwalk and woke up in a panic.

She hadn't spoken to Sarah or her mom in full sentences for days. They were both extremely worried about her. They considered her getting therapy. All they got was a stony gaze through the window; silence.

Freddy was watching her from his world, and smiling to himself.

"Not long now..."


	4. First Heartbreak

**Chapter 4 of my story. Enjoy :)**

**P.S. check out my profile picture - it's epic :D**

"Dani... Dani!" a voice called out. Daniella lay on the floor, having accidentally fallen asleep into a nightmare. Her eyes flickered open, revealing to her a black room. She waved her hand in front of her face – she couldn't see it. It was like she'd been plunged into a silent purgatory.

"Dani!" Daniella turned around to see a small crack of light under a door, which helped her to see the figure calling her name. It was one of her closest friends at school, Jane. She was a tall blonde with little attitude and no courage. She was a teen horror victim on legs. Dani had always been her friend because she would crack up laughing at Jane's naivety. She was a little simple and completely gullible.

"Jane?" Dani called back. She got onto her hands and knees then stood up and stared at her. She fell back down again as Jane crashed into her. "Jane, what the hell!" Jane stood and then helped Daniella on to her feet.

"Sorry, I'm just freaked out, where the hell are we?"

"How should _I_ know?" she yelled. She knew for certain that they were in one of _his_ nightmares, but she had no clue what kind of scene he had trapped them in. Instinctively, Jane ran towards the door, pulling it open.

"Jane, wait!" Dani yelled as Jane pushed the door open, but held on to the handle at the last second as she nearly fell into a huge pit of blood. Daniella jogged to where Jane was standing.

"D-Dani, i-is that w-what I think it i-is?" Jane muttered, almost too shocked to speak. The deep liquid was bubbling and rising higher and higher. It must have been over 100 degrees.

"Yep, sure is." Dani said, with a look of terror on her face. She looked up. The room was being lit with several naked bulbs, flashing on and off. She looked behind her. The light from the room had shed some light in the pitch black. She saw that they were in the boiler room.

Of course, where else?

Jane stepped back and turned around also. "What the hell!" she walked forwards, examining the large pipes and the iron catwalks – as far as she could see anyway. Then the boiler room lit up with an eerie red glow.

Jane took in how large the room was, and even with light, how dark it still was. It seemed to go on forever. She couldn't see the end of the room. Dani turned back to look at the pit. That was when she heard an ear splitting scream.

"Jane?" she turned back. Freddy was there, on the catwalk directly above Jane. Of course, Jane was the one who had screamed. She didn't need to see the razor glove to be terrified of him. Jane backed away in fear.

Freddy sniggered as she cowered away from him. He always loved the timid ones. They were the most fun to kill – they were the ones that ran the fastest.

"Well, who do we have here?" the question seemed to be directed at Daniella, but she knew that it was just a line.

"Leave her alone, you bastard." Dani glowered at him. As much as she feared him, she knew that cowering would get her nowhere.

"Hey babe, you owe me." He grinned at her.

"_I_ don't owe you anything."

While they were 'arguing', Jane had taken her chance to run.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you..." she heard Freddy snarl, and she wouldn't have turned if the next thing she heard hadn't been Dani's screams.

Instantly she ran back. "Dani!" she stopped dead in her tracks, as Freddy was suspending Daniella over the blood pit with his bare hand – his gloved one would have killed her instantly. She was there, gripping onto his arm and dangling over sudden death. And Jane – Jane, who had been Daniella's good friend for the past 5 years – said these words, although very quietly, in a serious manner.

"Kill her, if it means that you won't kill me."

The last thing that Jane saw was the dejected look on Daniella's face, as Freddy dropped her on to solid ground, and Freddy's face contort into a look of pure malice as he advanced upon her. She felt the knives enter her abdomen, and she drew her last breath, while Dani picked herself up slowly as she saw her supposed friend die.

Freddy picked up Jane's corpse and threw it into the pit.

Dani just stared at him.

Freddy glanced back. "Believe me, I did you a favour. She was a bitch." He leaned closer. "But that is the only favour I'm doing you. I wasn't kidding when I said you owe me."

Dani had lost her voice once more, terror starting to overwhelm her. She wasn't sure whether it was because of Freddy, or because of grief. Because the truth was, she wouldn't miss Jane; not at all. And in a way, she wanted to thank Freddy. But, again, terror arrived, and she started running.

"There's no point, doll!" He called after her, but she kept running.

_Why_ did he keep calling her that?

She turned back while running to check if he was behind him, and she ran straight into him, falling flat onto her back. She covered her face with her arms, trying to protect herself. Then, she opened her eyes and found herself in her room, drenched with sweat. She also found specks of Jane's blood on her t-shirt. She ran to the bathroom mirror, seeing bruises on her neck. The deep indents under her eyes made her look dead. And that's how she felt – dead. She'd just witnessed a friend being killed, and she felt nothing. If anything, she was dead of sympathy. She didn't feel any grief for Jane at all.

Jane had broken her heart. Given the choice, she would have chosen her own life for Dani's – or for anyone else's. She deserved to die...

Deserved? No-one deserves to die! What was Dani thinking? How could she say something like that? She was turning into someone she never wanted to become.

She quickly washed her face and got changed into a white top and a pair of black leggings, and rushed downstairs. Sarah and her mom were already at the dining table.

"Hey honey, how'd you sleep?" Sarah asked. She and Diana were relieved to say the least that she'd finally got some sleep. They were even more relieved to see her awaken from sleep. They were fearing the worst...

"Um... not very well." She rubbed her eyes, yawning.

"Nothing a slice of my famous sponge cake won't fix." Sarah smiled at her, and cut a piece.

Daniella joined them at the table, resting her head in her right hand and nibbling at the cake feebly.

After what she'd just seen, she didn't feel very hungry.


	5. First Realisation

20 Pencils tapped against tiny wooden desks. The clock said 11. 'God, has the day ever gone this slowly before?' Daniella thought dully, as she lay slumped in her chair. Math was probably her least favourite subject – actually scratch that, SCHOOL was her least favourite subject. She hated every minute of it. Her best friend Katie got her through the day with her care-free attitude. She always made Dani laugh. She reminded her of a young Sarah. And that was partly why she loved her. She'd never betray her like Jane did.

Truth is, if either of them had a chance to save one or the other, they'd always sacrifice themselves.

"Hey, Dani," Katie whispered over to her friend. "When does this lesson end?" She asked as the teacher babbled quietly.

"Erm, in like 10 minutes. But you've only been going to this school for 4 years so it's okay." Dani giggled.

"Hey, I'm blonde, don't give me smack talk." She joked and stuck her tongue out.

Dani smirked. "Well, luckily, I don't have that problem." She finished and stuck her tongue back.

The Neanderthal of the class, (or so Daniella liked to assume) Jason, decided to use this moment to yell, "Oh my God, Daniella and Katie are gonna kiss!"

Great. Thanks, idiot.

This got plenty of response from the rest of the class, while Daniella sunk into her hands and Katie just smiled. "You're just jealous Jase 'cause no-one will ever kiss you."

Daniella and a majority of the class laughed hard. Katie had that gift to say the smallest thing and bring a room to floods of tears. Jason just sulked. 'Serves him right' Dani thought. She had enough on her plate without dim-witted ignoramuses like Jason Wilkes getting on her case.

In Physics – what's worse? – Daniella wrote down the answers to the questions quietly. This was one of the very few lessons where she didn't have Katie with her. Jason obviously wasn't very happy with the previous events of that day, and struck up a loud conversation about Jane. He knew that she and Dani were pretty close. 'How dare he.'

"Dude, you hear 'bout that Jane chick?" He turned to the boy on his right, Felix.

"I know right, blood all over the room. Body found this morning. What a bitch she was." He continued.

Dani couldn't believe what she was hearing. She knew that they weren't the brightest lights on the Christmas tree, and that they had a reputation to stir up trouble, but to dignify a death? As if Jane wasn't a human, but as if she were just a thing. Yes, Jane had chosen to end Dani's life rather than her own, but that didn't condemn her existence. She was scared. She did what most people would do.

Besides, knowing Krueger, she would have died either way.

Jason's voice resurfaced. "Yeah, totally. She deserved to die."

She couldn't take any more of this. She stood and turned to the boys. "Just shut up, you fucking morons! How can you say something so horrible about a human being? You go on about it trying to big yourselves up, but you're only digging a deeper hole, you stupid bastards. I hope YOU die."

With that, she grabbed her bag and stormed out, until she reached the corner of Elm Street. She sat down under the big Elm tree and caught her breath. Her eyes began to flutter closed, and before she knew it, she was in the last place she wanted to be.

"Hey, Doll. A little early, aren't you?" Freddy chuckled maliciously behind her. Dani turned around, anger dissolving slightly. Still, she had spirit.

"WHY do you keep calling me that?"

Freddy laughed. "I'm surprised your mother hasn't told you yet. She should have guessed I'd be here by now."

"W-what do you mean? My mom? What's this got to do with her?"

"The lovely Diana and I were... friends, when I was alive. She was such a... _precious_ age," he said maliciously, "when I knew her. When I died she was 15. Exactly the same age as you are now."

Dani backed away a little. "What's my age got to do with anything?"

Freddy tapped his knives against the railings. He could sense her fear, and his body urged for blood. Screams. Souls.

But he had to wait.

Nevertheless, he took a step towards her. "Nothing really. Just thought it would be sentimental." He smirked.

"Tell me what you're talking about!" She screamed, backing away still. Her mind and every fibre in her body were telling her to run, but if she could cure the confusion in her mind, she would have to stay.

He'd backed her up against a wall, and she no longer had a way out. "Ask your mom," he leaned in closer. "And tell her Freddy says hi." He cut her arm, and with the searing pain, she woke up with the sound of Freddy's laughter ringing in her ears.

She would have to start taking caffeine tablets for sure. During the night was bad enough, but during the day? That never happened to her. She stood up, grabbed her bag and ran to her front door. "Mom!" She cried, searching.

She searched the kitchen, the lounge, everywhere. Maybe she'd still be at work. No, she didn't work on Tuesdays. 'Oh well,' Dani thought. She walked to the bathroom and picked up a flannel. She ran it under the tap and dabbed it on her fresh wound, while she searched through the medicine cabinet for a bandage. She found one and wrapped it tight around her arm. 'If mom asks, I'll say I scratched it on the banister.'

Then, she took a moment to absorb Freddy's words. She had to question her mother. She had to find out what she knew, to sort the ever growing mess in her head.

She examined her eyes in the mirror, realizing just how tired she was. The circles were getting darker and darker every day. She wouldn't be able to stand much more lack of sleep before she started getting hallucinations – and they'd be much worse than the dreams, she was sure of it.

She rubbed her eyes, and held her face in her hands for a few seconds. Then she looked back into the mirror... and saw Freddy with his knives outstretched, and his evil laughter echoing around the room.

She screamed, and then looked back into the mirror. She'd dozed off again. Seriously, caffeine pills.

An hour later, her mom returned to find a very much awake daughter sitting on the sofa drinking her third cup of coffee.

Dani looked at her mom. "Where have you been? I need to talk to you." She got up from the sofa and shook her mom gently.

"Whoa, honey, slow down. Has something happened?"

Daniella looked down and nodded. She hesitated for a moment, and then looked at her mother, welling up a little. Her voice became meek. "There's a man in my dreams..." The tears fell silently down her cheeks.

Diana took a look at her daughter, and hugged her. She knew that the time had come. The inevitable time.

Freddy had returned for his revenge.


	6. First Reminiscence

Diana walked through the brightly lit kitchen and made her way up the stairs to her daughter's room. She knocked gently, then made her way in, and smiled at her lightly sleeping child. Dani was in fact faking, and could do anything but sleep because of the caffeine pills she'd been taking.

Diana knew this, but kept quiet. She would tell Dani her thoughts once she'd relaxed for a while and calmed down.

She closed the door and walked back into the kitchen and sat down in the light. She rested her head on her hand and thought back to her childhood, when it all began...

**August 1968**

The whole town were gathered around the large silver plaque. It was placed in the park, exactly opposite the playground, where the young children of Springwood used to play. Even after the event that had happened only a fortnight ago, an air of fright and dark still whispered around the town. The town would be swarmed in it for a long time to come.

On the silver plaque were 23 engraved names in swirly writing, with their date of birth and death placed neatly beside them. All children. The eldest was 15. The youngest was 3. The parents, siblings and friends crowded around the plaque as they wept for their loved ones.

It had been two weeks since Freddy Krueger had been killed, and a memorial service for his victims was being held. But no matter how beautiful the scene was, no-one could feel any relief or happiness; absolutely none.

15 year old Diana Fox stood beside her parents and her sister, Sarah. Each of them cried and made a silent prayer for their sister Sophia, who was a victim of Freddy's when she was only 5. He had befriended her, and offered her candy – as their family was poor, she became an easy target. Her name was carved beautifully at the top of the list.

The family stood still, not muttering a word. Their mother stared at the plaque, her mouth open slightly, as still and as emotionless as a statue. Tears ran silently down Andrew Fox's face as he tried to stifle his sobs. For his daughters. Diana hugged Sarah as her tears soaked into her shirt. When it got dark, the family left the park and returned home. Sarah ran straight to her room and into Sophia's old bed, which her parents hadn't moved since her death, and curled up into the foetal position, cuddling Sophia's teddy as she sobbed loudly. Diana went silently into her room and cried silently, not wanting to make any more fuss than she'd made.

This town had shed too many tears because of that bastard.

Eventually, she couldn't take it any more and she threw all of her things from her desk against the wall. She screamed and threw her clothes everywhere. "I hate you Freddy! I hate you!" She screamed again and again until she ran out of breath. "I hate you..." She whispered as she collapsed onto her bed in exhaustion.

She felt a musty air around her as she opened her eyes to a dark room. The floor was damp and stained her shirt and trousers. She slowly got up and tried to get her eyes to adjust to the room around her, but she couldn't see a thing. She outstretched her arms to find a wall to help her find her way. She found something metal and hot to the touch, and flinched as it burned her fingers.

The air suddenly filled with steam and heat.

She took a few steps forward and she heard the clattering of chains. Suddenly, the room filled with light and she found herself in some sort of boiler room. There were pipes and a huge furnace. The place was huge, and there were stairways and ladders everywhere. Confusion filled her head. Then familiarity.

She was in the old power plant. This was where she'd found Freddy Krueger after he'd been let go. She wondered why she was dreaming of it.

Unpleasant memories came rushing back and she shook her head, walking down between the boilers.

It all looked the same. She could imagine that it was very easy to get lost in here if you didn't know the place. She was amazed at the size of it. It was deadly silent apart from the odd tapping and clinking of chains, which echoed around the plant. It was eerie and spooky, and normally she would have found the place interesting; if it hadn't been for recent events.

She was broken out of remembering by the harsh screeching of knives from behind her.

She recognised that sound as well.

She turned around slowly and gasped as she faced a horrid sight of what was once the most feared and hated man in Springwood. His face and skin was horribly burned, and he was wearing the same sweater, hat and knifed glove as he had done in life; his motif.

But what was happening now? He was dead, wasn't he? She expected to dream of him, but like this, after he'd been burned alive? What a horrible image her imagination had created.

"Well well. My first taste of my new power, and look which brat I run in to." He said each word with dark relish, smiling as he did so. He seemed more evil than before, more… powerful.

She shivered and backed away a bit, her lip trembling. "W-w..." She faltered.

He laughed shortly at her confusion. "Why, don't you recognise me? Don't you recognise this place? I feel hurt, Doll." He continually walked towards her trembling figure, his eyes shining brightly.

She'd seen that look before. She recognised her nickname.

"I-" She paused. "I know it's you, Freddy." Who could ever forget those eyes? And although his voice was deeper, raspier, she could still hear that fiendish lilt of his.

Freddy smirked, still stalking. "Is that all you want to say to me, Diana? Nothing more to add?"

At this point, he'd backed her up against a wall. She had nowhere to go, she was terrified, and she couldn't stop staring at the knife-wielding glove that he was currently lifting.

But this was just a dream, right? I mean, even though it felt so real to her, it was all a part of her subconscious. She wasn't about to let him go without telling him what she thought of him, the murderous bastard whom she thought she could trust. The guy who murdered her sister.

"Actually, I do have a couple of things to say." She wanted to sound brave, but it came out as a meek response. She carried on nonetheless, ignoring the sounds of his mocking laughter.

"I hate you, Freddy. How could you? How could you murder my sister?"

She was sick of him laughing at her, mocking her, so she shoved him back. Surprisingly, he stumbled back, but quickly recovered as he swung for her. She ducked and dodged out of the way.

"You're a monster! You're a total fucking monster! I'm glad you died, I'm glad I found you in your boiler room and led my parents to you, not to mention the parents of 22 other kids. Your death was the best thing to ever happen to this town, and I hope you're rotting in hell!"

She'd finally found her voice. She was shaking and crying, but she held a long angry glare at Freddy. When she noticed… he'd stopped laughing. He was staring straight back at her, his face full of malice. He reached his glove-sporting hand forward, and quickly cut her arm. She winced and looked down in shock. She felt pain. She'd never felt pain in her dreams before.

She felt the blood trickle down her arm. She felt it stick to her hand, warm and moist. It felt so _real._

What was happening!?

With a look of pure horror, she looked around for a place to run, but before she knew it, she was trapped again, Freddy's ungloved hand around her neck. He raised the glove, and Diana waited for her fate, eyes screwed shut.

Then, he leaned forward and whispered into her ear. "Don't worry, Doll. I'm not gonna kill you… yet. I want you to go through exactly what your poor mommy and daddy went through. And believe me – that is more pain than you could ever imagine."

He clawed at her stomach, and she woke up in a cold sweat, screaming, crying, and calling for her sister, who came running in with a worried look. "Diana?" Sarah hugged her sister and rocked her back and forth, for once playing the role of the older sister.

What did he mean what her parents went through?

**Present Day**

Diana stood up, having finished her glass of wine, in need of a refill.

Sophia… she'd been gone for 48 years now, and it still didn't feel right, her not being here. She'd been Diana's best friend for 5 years. Sophia had come home several times after school in a dazed panic, and she'd keep to herself and lock herself in her bedroom. But after many hours of prying, Sarah and Diana had managed to get some truth out of her. Stories about Mr Krueger and the power plant. About a red and green sweater, and about a glove with knives. And just 3 days later, Sophia was gone.

Diana had stayed silent throughout her sister's funeral. She'd felt so guilty with herself. She knew. She and Sarah had known everything. They could have stopped him, or at least they could have saved her. If they'd tried, she still might have been alive.

She was jolted out of daydreaming by a quiet voice. "Mom?"

Daniella was standing in the doorway in her dressing gown, dark circles under her eyes and her hair a wild mess.

"Are you okay? You seem distracted."

Her mother smiled. "Of course I am, dear. I'm just thinking."

"Thinking about him?"

Diana's eyebrows furrowed. "Who?"

"You know who I mean, mom. You know exactly who I mean… judging by your reaction yesterday, I'm pretty sure you know him."

Sighing, she walked to the couch and patted the space behind her. "Okay, sweetheart. Sit down and I'll tell you everything."


	7. First Confession

Dani sat down on the couch, with her legs curled up and a cup of strong coffee in her hands, as Diana took a sip of her wine and thought of the right words to say. How could she explain to her daughter that the child murderer from her past had come to seek revenge through her daughter's dreams?

"The man in your dreams – what does he look like sweetie?" Diana asked, just to clarify the situation.

"He's burned, and he wears a red and green sweater, with a brown hat and a glove with knives on it."

How Diana wished she would never have to hear that description again. "The man's name is Freddy Krueger. I knew him when I was young-"

"I know." Dani interjected. "He mentioned. The age 15 was significant for some reason… What happened when you were 15 mom?"

"I'll tell you more about Freddy first, so you understand fully what happened." She took a deep breath as memories came rushing back from all those years ago. "I was 10 years old when I first met Freddy Krueger. He was lovely, and quite handsome as well. He had a wife, Loretta, and a daughter, Katherine, whom Sarah was very good friends with. And I had another sister, Sophia."

"Yeah, the one who died?"

She paused. "Yes. I've been telling you for so long now that she died in a car crash. That isn't true, honey." She looked at her daughter with tears welling in her eyes. "Freddy murdered her."

Dani looked shocked but said nothing, so her mother continued.

"We regularly went round to his house to spend time with him and his family. He was hilarious and sociable. He gave the nickname 'doll' because Loretta had once commented that I looked like a china doll, and I loved it." Finally, Dani knew the origin of her nickname. It was the nickname that Freddy gave her mother.

"It seemed perfect, and we were so happy. That is until Sophia started behaving very strangely.

"She'd come home from school in a sort of trance, and she wouldn't talk for hours. Eventually she'd let the odd piece of information slip. She told us that Freddy had taken her to his power plant and had hurt her. She told Sarah and me, but we kept it from our parents. He was so nice, we thought that it couldn't be true. We thought she was just making it up, I mean she was only 5.

"But a few days later, she disappeared, and her remains were found in the woods. The police had said she had possibly been mutilated and then the murderer had burned the body to hide the evidence. And then Sarah and I couldn't help thinking if 'Mr Krueger' had had anything to do with it. After a long stage of grief, we resumed our visits to the Kruegers, and tried to move on. But Sarah and I were now more wary around Freddy. And every now and again, we would catch his eye, and he would give us a smirk and a look, as if to say, 'It was me. I've won.'"

"Oh, mom…" Daniella welled up as well, and a few tears escaped as she rubbed Diana's arm in comfort. "I'm so sorry."

"It's fine, sweetie. It's taken me a long time but I've gotten over it. I'll carry on with the story.

"When I was 15, Freddy set his sights on me. He had come out of nowhere and he'd sedated me. I woke up in the power plant where he proceeded to kill me, but he'd heard a noise. I took the opportunity and ran as fast as I could out of there. I managed to run home before he could get me. And it was actually your father who had made the noise. He'd seen what was happening and he'd caused a distraction. The next time I saw him at school, I asked him out, and we'd never separated.

"A couple of days later, the police caught Freddy. They took him to court, and it seemed obvious to everyone that he would be sentenced. But it turned out that someone had forgotten to sign the search warrant, and he was released. Obviously, no one was happy with that.

"I heard my parents talking with the other parents outside the courthouse. They were planning to kill him with lit Molotov cocktails to burn him alive. But they had no idea where he might be. The police didn't know where the murders had taken place. He wouldn't be at his house as that was now on the market since Loretta's murder and Katherine's adoption." A small gasp emitted from Dani, and Diana carried on. "And they were clueless as to where he was. Then, I stepped out from the shade and quietly stated 'I know where he might be.' I led them to the power plant. I led them to his murder. I'm the reason he's dead. And he wanted revenge.

"Two weeks later, after a memorial service for the victims, he came to me in a dream and warned me. He said he wanted me to go through what my parents went through – it didn't take me long to realise he wanted my child dead…

"And that's why he's in your dreams, sweetheart. He wants to hurt me by killing you, and I am so so sorry..." With that, she burst into tears, and she hugged her daughter.

Daniella cried as well, and shushed her mother soothingly, and comforted her. "It's ok, it's not your fault, shh shh shh…"

After they had calmed down, Dani spoke. "So. What do I do now?"

"I don't really have a plan… we could research. Maybe someone has faced him before. We need all the help we can get. Dani, I know one thing for sure. You can't be alone in this."

She nodded, considering whom she could tell, and whom she'd be putting in danger.

Suddenly, the words she'd spoken to Jason Wilkes and his friend entered her mind.

'I hope YOU die.'

So, she'd found victims number one and two. They might not be any help, but they'd at least be a distraction. Like her father…

"Mom, is there something else you wanted to tell me? Something about dad?" They both knew where this was going.

Diana didn't speak. She saw the question in her daughter's eyes. She nodded, not needing to say the obvious. Mugs in an alleyway didn't in fact kill Darren. Freddy murdered him.

It all made sense when Dani thought about it.

Then she thought of another person to bring into the dream. She knew she'd be putting their life at risk. She knew she was also risking their friendship. But she needed someone she could trust.

She picked up the phone and dialled the number.

"Katie? It's Dani. Listen, can you come over? I need to ask you a favour…"

**A/N: Sorry about the long wait for the update, I've been busy with the holidays and of course starting college :D And also (apart from in story form of course) I apologise for the lack of Freddiness in this chapter. I shall bring more. I promise x**


	8. First Casualty

"Wait, hold on, slow down Dani… what did you say?"

Dani, Katie, Sarah and Diana sat in the lounge as Daniella explained her situation.

"There's a man called Freddy in my dreams, and he's trying to kill me. And if I die in the dream, I die for real. And I think the next time I see him, he won't fail. He wants to kill me to get revenge on mom because she led the mob that killed him to where he was hiding, when he was alive. And I need you to come into the dream with me to help me defeat him."

Katie still couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I'm sorry, say it again, I still can't understand."

"It's true, Katie," Diana interjected. "I knew him when I was young. He was a child murderer that didn't get sentenced because of a technicality, and the parents of the town burned him alive, because I told them where he was. But when he died, he somehow gained the power to haunt peoples dreams, and he is now after Daniella."

She shook her head still. "That's impossible!"

"Katie," Sarah said. "I wouldn't believe it if it hadn't come out of Diana's lips. She's never lied to me."

Katie put her face in her hands for a while, and then looked up. "So, if I go into the dream with you, I could die?"

"Not if you stick together, Katie. I've been doing some research. A girl called Kristen Parker wrote about the 'Dream Warriors' who were a group of kids locked away in Westin Hills that came together to conquer Freddy." Diana stated.

"What happened to them?" Sarah asked.

She looked down. "Well," Diana continued, "All except three survived, because he managed to split them up somehow. So you HAVE to stay together once you're there, understand?"

"Stop a minute, ok?" Katie exclaimed. "If this is true, then he would split us up, and come after us, wouldn't he?"

Dani and Diana nodded.

"Then no! I'm sorry Dani, but I don't want to die. Surely he'll kill us all anyway."

"That's a risk we'll have to take." Dani said in a monotone voice.

"But it's a pretty big risk! I can't do it.

"You'll dream about him regardless, Katie."

Katie looked her in the eye.

"What?"

"Now you know about him, he'll come after you. You might as well go in with back up than go in alone, and die for sure."

"… That's just great." She thought for a second, and then decided. "OK, I'll do it. For you."

"You have to understand me Katie, I only chose you because I trust you more than anyone. I would never put your life on the line unless I really needed to. You understand that right?"

Katie understood. It's just she was scared. Not only of the fact she could die, but also it would bring up horrible memories of her father, who abused her and her mom for years before they moved to Springwood. He tormented her and hurt her so much that the memories became indented in her brain.

But she would get the chance to save her best friend. She had to focus on the aim.

She nodded.

"Good, now there's just the issue of getting Jason and Felix into the dream as well…"

ll

Later that night, Jason and his friend Felix were at the computer, trolling a page dedicated to the memory of Jane. They were coming up with another 'genius' insult when they got a message. Jason opened it, and saw it was from Daniella, Jane's friend that bitched at them in Physics the other day.

"What the fuck?" He said as he read a news article she'd sent him about Freddy Krueger, the child murderer. He showed Felix, who was just as perplexed. Why, what, huh?

Jason scoffed. "What a lunatic."

"Yeah, crazy bitch." Felix agreed.

ll

"So what's the plan, honey?" Sarah asked Dani.

"I sent Jason a news article that mom found, and I'm guessing Felix is with him judging by the comments they're putting on Jane's R.I.P page. Bastards…"

"How are we going to get them into our dream. And how are we going to get us all into the same dream?" Katie asked, with a cup of coffee in one hand while she bit the nails of her other.

"I don't know… but for now, we just hope that Jason and Felix survive the night. Then they'll believe us and we'll try to persuade them to come round here. Surely if we all fall asleep together, then there's a chance we'll dream together too?"

Dani was unsure, but she was willing to try anything at this point. Just thinking about him made her afraid and sick. She imagined her possible fates… She could fall asleep by herself, and be killed by Freddy. She could fall asleep with her 'team' and be killed by Freddy. She could commit suicide… but she knew that would never be an option. She could defeat Freddy and survive, which again didn't seem likely.

But what if Freddy didn't kill her? What if he kept her alive and tortured her, and terrified her every night? If anything, that would lead her to suicide.

She would just have to try to survive tomorrow night. There was no way she was falling asleep tonight.

Her body had other plans. The minute she entered her room, she passed out from exhaustion. She arrived in the boiler room screaming.

"No! Wake up! Wake up! Mom! Sarah! KATIE!"

A familiar burned hand appeared from behind her and grabbed her throat, pulling her against his chest. His gloved hand pulled her hair back so he could look her in the face.

"They can't hear you, Doll." He sniggered evilly.

She shook with fear too much to utter retaliation. She just cried and muttered, "Please, I just want to go, please…"

His gloved hand left her hair and came very close to her throat, to which Dani responded with more pleading and crying, rising in volume.

"You're staying right here, Dani. You think you and your friends can defeat me?" He laughed hard. Dani could feel his rancid breath hit her face. "Many have tried, but I just keep on coming back."

More cries ensued. It was as if all the courage had drained out of her along with the will to stay awake.

"Let me go, let me go, let me go…" She repeated again and again, quietly, and if she were talking to herself. She shut her eyes and waited for her death.

Suddenly, he shoved her hard to the ground. She banged her head against the metal floor, and it started bleeding. She scrabbled away from him, survival instinct overtaking fear for just a second.

"You know Doll, you remind me of your mother so much. She was a scaredy-cat too. I should have gotten to her sooner. But I won't make that mistake with you…" He walked towards her with a sly grin on his face and his knives ready to strike.

At the mention of her mother, part of her courage returned. "I know what you did, you bastard! You killed her sister, and you tried to kill her!"

"No shit," He said, and then laughed menacingly. "The best fun I'd had in a long time."

At this, she stood up. "She may have led the mob to you, but it was less than you deserved. Much less."

He stopped laughing. "You little bi-"

"You won't kill me!" She interrupted. "I won't let you."

With that, he swiped out at her, and she dodged and ran, her sweat-drenched hair flying out behind her. She went up a flight of stairs and ran as fast as she could. She heard his threatening growl echo around the room, building up more terror.

She stumbled for a second, but used the handrail to keep her balance and carried on. She had been running for what seemed forever, and then she realised that she could no longer hear Freddy. It was as if he'd disappeared. She turned around to see… nothing. Just the catwalk she had just come down. Puzzled, she squinted her eyes to see if he was in the distance. But she couldn't see him.

This didn't calm her nerves at all. She knew he was hiding, and he'd find her eventually. For now, she just caught her breath and prayed he wouldn't arrive soon.

After she'd breathed for a minute or so she turned to run… and landed straight into Freddy's arms. He pinned her up against a wall with a look of pure wickedness. He saw her mouth open to speak and rested a knife against it to shut her up.

"I've heard you talk enough, bitch."

Well, at least he didn't call her Doll.

Fresh tears arrived in her eyes, and all sense of defence and braveness vanished. Just a look of terror.

He leaned towards her and said this in a very quiet voice.

"That whore Diana deserves to lose you, and I'll enjoy it so much. I'll enjoy making you suffer."

She cried out at the thoughts that entered her mind. He lowered his knives towards her left leg and slowly dragged them upwards, making four deep cuts in her thigh. Daniella screamed in pain.

"Ah! Stop!" Before she could say more, he turned her around and repeated the motion on her back. She screamed again, louder this time. "MOM, WAKE ME UP!"

Diana, Sarah and Katie ran into Dani's bedroom at the sound of screaming. She was shaking and crying, and cuts started appearing everywhere, on her leg, her back, her stomach...

Katie screamed, and Dani's mother and auntie sprung into action. Sarah shook her to try and wake up her and called her name, while Diana ran to get cold water.

"I want to make this one count…" Freddy whispered as he ripped off her bloody shirt and dragged the knives across her breasts. She struggled against him to try and get away but it was no good. She was trapped, bleeding to death, and it didn't seem like she'd ever wake up. She could almost feel death creeping up on her.

"Dani! Wake up honey, it's Sarah, please wake up!" She shook her shoulders violently now, blood staining her fingers.

Diana ran in with a cup of ice water and poured it over her daughter.

Freddy drew his glove back for the final move. She was too feeble to even scream now. All she could do was look on in fear as weakness and blood-loss consumed her body. He was about to strike, when she disappeared from the dream world in a flash. Freddy yelled and scraped his knives against the wall in frustration. He would kill her for sure when she returned…

Dani woke with a start, and winced in pain. She felt the blood stained sheets beneath her squelch.

"Oh my God, Dani!" Katie shouted. "Thank God you're ok!"

"She's not ok yet, Katie," Diana said. "Sarah, call 911." Sarah ran out into the hall.

"M-mom?" Dani muttered. "He, he…"

She cried softly and her mother hugged her. "You'll be fine honey, I promise you you'll be fine…"


	9. First Gathering

**Hello, lovely people! I haven't posted anything for months, and there is no excuse for that. Apart from I've been busy applying for University :D**

**Unbelievable that I first posted this story like, what, 3 years ago? So I've been updating the chapters, getting rid of grammar/spelling mistakes and improving and replacing somewhat cheesy/stupid/funny-when-it's-not-supposed-to-be-funny bits, so if you want to have a gander, go right on ahead. And if there's anything I've missed, please let me know.**

**I'll shut up now, and let you get on with (finally!) reading chapter 9 :)**

The ambulance ride was bumpy and unnerving. Diana sat beside her daughter as it sped at about 70 mph through the narrow streets of Springwood.

"Stay with me, baby. Stay with me."

To a stranger, this is a normal reaction. To a stranger, the mother is hoping for her child to stay alive. And this was true. But she wasn't just telling her to stay alive.

She was telling her to stay awake.

"M-mom?" Daniella lay on the simple ambulance bed, while a paramedic tended to her wounds. "Mom, I'll be okay. Right? I mean... please don't let me fall asleep."

"No, honey. I won't let them put you to sleep. You're going to be fine."

"But... but... I'm so tired, mom. I'm l-losing blood."

"They're fixing it, baby. They're fixing you. You're okay."

Sarah sped behind the ambulance as Katie held on for dear life in the passenger seat.

"Come on, Dani. Come on," Sarah muttered over and over again. Katie sobbed and panicked, not knowing what to say or do. She just clinged onto her seat and stared at the ambulance doors, hoping that Dani was being taken care of. Hoping that she didn't fall asleep.

When they arrived at the hospital, chaos ensued. They all rushed in together as doctors and nurses came out of nowhere and surrounded the bed, stating her name, age and health details. Then Daniella was taken by them, as her relatives and friend were asked to stay behind.

"Stay awake, Dani!" Katie screamed as Sarah held her back, and hugged her.

ll

An hour later, they were all gathered in a private hospital room. Daniella lay in bed, eyes wide and afraid, staring at the ceiling. She was wired to a bag filled with blood and a machine that monitored her heartbeat. Sarah, Katie and Diana sat in chairs and on the end of her bed, biting their nails and holding their heads in their hands. Every now and again one of them would smack themselves, or pull their eyelids to keep their eyes open, or scratch their arms.

There was a knock on the door that caught everyone's attention. A stern-faced middle-aged man came in, complete with white coat and clip-board.

"Mrs, er... Saxon?" He said, after checking said clip-board.

"Yes?" Answered a clearly sleep-deprived voice.

"May I speak with you outside, please?"

She nodded and stood up, along with Sarah, and they both exited the room with the doctor.

Katie looked at Dani and held her hand. "How are you feeling?"

"Not so great, Kate." She smirked. "Rhyme." Katie laughed quietly.

"What happens if... if you fall asleep?"

Daniella sat up, slowly and with great effort. "You're going to have to go in after me, Katie. I don't want you to... but it's the only way. The only way I'll survive."

Katie nodded. "I know."

"Listen to mom. She knows the most out of all of us. She has the best chance of beating him."

"Okay." She nodded again, tears forming in her eyes, when she heard a commotion outside of the room. She looked at the window to see Diana and Sarah arguing with the stern doctor.

"My daughter is NOT being put to sleep." Diana shouted. "She gets anxiety. She's an insomniac. It would freak her out!" She blurted out all of the excuses she could come up with.

"I'm sorry, Mrs Saxon, but she is clearly in need of a good rest. I mean, when was the last time she got a decent night's sleep?"

Diana had a long think. And couldn't remember.

"Please," Sarah said softly and clearly. "Don't."

The doctor sighed, and shrugged. "There's nothing I can do. I have to do what's best for the patient." With that, he pushed past them and into the hospital room.

Daniella panicked. "W-what are you doing?"

He had produced a syringe full of green liquid. "You need to sleep, Miss Saxon. This will be quick and painless, don't worry."

She shook her head and attempted to remove herself from the bed, pulling out the tubes attached to her and causing the machine to go crazy. Two female nurses entered the room and attempted to hold her down.

"No, please! Please, you have to understand, I'll- ow, you're hurting me!"

Daniella pleaded with the nurses pinning her to the bed. The doctor approached her and, as Diana, Sarah and Katie stared in horror, the needle entered her arm, and the liquid was pushed into her bloodstream. It was too late.

The relieved doctor and nurses left the room with angry glares burning into their backs.

Diana ran to her daughter, drifting rapidly off to sleep.

"Don't worry, honey. We'll be right behind you."

Dani nodded vigorously, stretching open her eyes and struggling to stay awake.

"Dani. We can do this."

"_You _can do this." Sarah interjected. Katie just nodded, her eyes full of worry but her smile encouraging.

Daniella's nods slowed and stopped, as her exhausted and mutilated body slumped into a deep, deep sleep.

There was a pause. There were looks of worry given to each other. And then there were screams.

ll

Giant walls of metal surrounded her, 10 feet high and rusting. But she was not in a room. It appeared to be a corridor.

"MOM! GET ME OUT!" She pounded on the walls as hard as she could. They didn't budge.

She ran down the corridor and turned the corner, and ran into a dead end. She ran back and found another corridor, and another, and eventually found another dead end. It wasn't long until she realised that there were no doors, just long rusted halls.

She was in a maze.

As soon as the penny dropped, the floor shook and giant, metal, spiky vines burst out of the walls, going for her, cutting her back and arms. Dani screamed and ran, going down corridor after corridor and meeting dead end upon dead end, the vines grabbing and clawing as she went. Blood dripped down the walls.

Finally, she stopped, and rested against a vine-free patch of wall, panting and wiping the blood off her face.

"I'm tired... of running," she said, half determined and half desperate. "I'm tired of everything you've put me through." She looked around, certain that he could hear her.

"You want to kill me? Fine. But at least come out and do it yourself."

"_Soon, bitch._" His voice echoed and bounced off the walls. "_But I've got a few errands to run first..."_

She stood still for a second, then felt a sharp pain from a vine behind her, and continued running.

ll

"This can't be happening." Katie paced up and down the room, dragging her fingers through her hair. "I'm too wired to sleep now."

It was true. A few minutes earlier, they were all ready to drop. But after the adrenaline of seeing Dani having been restrained and forced to have an injection, which, in their minds, was putting her in mortal peril, they could not bring themselves to fall asleep.

"Katie, calm down. We have to think. She's getting more cuts every second, and watching you walk everywhere isn't helping."

"Well what else am I supposed to do? If I can't fall asleep, Dani will die. And if I do... I mean I haven't even seen this guy, but look what he's doing to her – what he's done to her! And he killed Jane... I can't even imagine what he looks like. What he'll do if he catches me. What he-"

"Katie." Diana ran to her and grabbed her shoulders. She looked at her directly in the eyes and knew what she was remembering. Her father. She hugged her tightly and whispered in her ear. "We're going to protect you. No matter what, I will not let you go through that again. I'm so sorry we had to call you..."

Katie pulled away and wiped the tears from her eyes. "No, it's fine. It had to be done. I mean Dani trusts me. I should be flattered, really." She smirked.

There was a silence. Then Sarah spoke. "The needle. The liquid. If I can find the same stuff, and enough needles, I should be able to..." She trailed off and went to a drawer she had seen the doctor open earlier. She found a jar of green liquid, the same colour as the liquid that had been pumped into her niece, with a long scientific name. "This has got to be it." She found 3 syringes, made sure that they were unused and clean and got them ready. She handed them out.

"I don't like needles." Katie said quietly.

Sarah handed Katie an antiseptic wipe. "I'll do it for you."

She nodded and sat down. She rolled up her sleeve and wiped an area near her shoulder.

Sarah injected her with the liquid. Then she injected herself. They nodded off pretty much instantly.

There was just Diana left. A wipe in one hand, the syringe in the other. She took a deep breath and looked at her comatose daughter.

"I'm coming, honey. Take care."

Within minutes, everyone in the room was unconscious.

ll

They landed with a thump. The carpet was soft and shaggy. The air was filled with a strong perfumed scent. They sat up, bemused, and looked around. They seemed to be in some sort of lounge. It was big and filled with expensive furniture. Plush red sofas and chaise longues. Glass tables and scented candles. The wallpaper was floral, with shades of black, gold and pink.

Two women entered the room, scantily clad in French lingerie. They smiled at the boys with a sultry look, confident and young.

The boys looked at each other and smiled.

"Hey, Felix?"

"Yeah, Jason?"

"I don't know how we got here, but I'm sure glad we did."

Felix agreed, stunned. "Uh-huh." They turned to stare at the women, who slowly strutted towards them. The women took the boys' hands and led them each to a couch. They began to give them a lap dance, which made the boys happy, but mostly anxious. They tried to focus on the excitement that was bubbling inside of them. But they were both virgins and, more so, they were nervous teenage boys.

Eventually the awkwardness overtook the arousal and after exchanging a look, the boys began to protest.

"Er, thank you, erm... ma'am. We've gotta go."

"Er, yeah. It's been great but-"

Before they could utter another syllable, the woman began to convulse where they stood. Their skin began to bubble, as ferociously as the feelings they had created. It turned from a bronzed tan to a sludgy brown and red. It became bumpy and shared the complexion of a pepperoni pizza. The women looked terrified. They screamed. Loud.

Felix and Jason covered their ears as the force of the screams blew them and the couches to the wall. They banged their heads and scrabbled around, trying to resist the wind.

The screams soon turned into raucous laughter as the woman started merging together, like some sort of mutated scab. They were no longer two women. They had become one man. A man in a green and red sweater. And a hat. And a glove with... _knives?_

"_What the fuck?_" Jason and Felix were now horrified at what the beauties had become. "Who the fuck are you?"

He just stared at them, with a growing smile on his face. He continually scraped his knives together.

"Uh, Jase? I think he's that guy. Remember? That article Dani sent us?"

He was chuckling now.

"What. Freddy Krueger?"

"Bingo!" Freddy yelled, and laughed. He started walking towards them now.

"Jason, lets go!" Felix stood up and ran.

But Jason didn't run. He stood up and walked towards Freddy, closing the distance between them. They stood face to face, staring each other out.

"This is a dream, right? That's what the article said. Kids said that you came in their dreams." Freddy was no longer laughing. He was staring back at Jason with a smug look on his face. He said nothing.

"Well I'm not gonna run away screaming like a girl just because a bunch of crazy freaks claim that their dreams are real. That's some stupid shit. I think you're just my imagination." With that, he pushed Freddy a little so that he stumbled back slightly.

"What do you think of that, Krueger?"

"Jaaaasooooon..."

A feminine voice came from behind him.

He turned around and saw his cousin Isabelle, in her underwear no less.

Suddenly the room changed. He blinked and they were in his bedroom. Isabelle was standing in his doorway.

"Oh, what's wrong, Jason? You never seen a lady in her panties before?" She giggled a high pitch giggle.

She walked towards him and slowly pushed him back till he landed on his bed. She straddled him and ran her hands down his body.

"Ooh. It seems you haven't. Not very subtle, are you Jase?" She smiled a nasty smile, mocking him.

She undid his zipper seductively and pulled down his underpants, completely exposing him.

"Isabelle, what are you-?"

She put a finger on his lips. "Ssh... It's okay. I'll be gentle." She started cackling. The voice became less and less feminine...

Isabelle outstretched her glove-clad hand and cut off the most important thing in Jason's life.

His life was cut shortly after.

ll

Sarah opened her eyes, peering into the darkness.

"Katie? Diana?"

"Here." Katie sat up and looked for the source of the voice. "W-where's Diana?"

"It's okay. I'm sure she'll be here soon. She wouldn't back out on us. Her daughter is the most important thing to her."

"Uh-huh. I know." Katie sounded worried. She brought herself to her knees, feeling around the floor. "Where are we?"

"I don't know." Sarah stood up and waved her hands in front of her face. She found two chains hanging from the ceiling.

"We're in his boiler room."

Sarah and Katie turned to the figure on the floor, Diana. Their eyes were better adjusted to the darkness now, and they could just about see the expression on her face. It seemed she knew this place very well.

"This is the place Sophia talked about." She got to her feet. "This is where he took me after..." Tears flew down her face and her chest heaved with sobs.

"Oh, Diana." Sarah ran to hug her and sobbed a little as well as she remembered her little sister.

They stopped when they heard a sound. Rapid foot steps getting louder and louder. They all stood together, prepared to run.

Felix came into sight, panting heavily with sweat glistening on his forehead.

"Freddy! Freddy came! It's Jason, I think he's in trouble."

"Felix! God, I'm glad you're okay." Katie hugged him, then broke away instantly realising what she was doing. "Ha... sorry."

"Katie, I left Jason back there. What if he's hurt?"

"It's okay, we'll-"

There was a rumble, and a flash. A door had appeared from nowhere, huge and metal. It was shaking. They all huddled together and stared at the door.

"W-what's that?"

"It's a door." Sarah said sarcastically.

Felix sighed. "Thank you."

They stood for a couple of minutes, staring at it intently.

"Oh for God's sake." Sarah walked briskly up to the door and put her hand on the knob. She inhaled and exhaled slowly, and yanked it open.


End file.
